Audition

By Ross Thompson

A line of black cats, a whole boulevard
of bad luck, smudges from crammed parking lot
to studio, where they will act out scenes
with Vincent Price and a scream queen

reportedly beloved by Howard Hughes 
and Elvis Presley. Some cats are wriggling
ellipses but other furred deities
wait patiently while secretly plotting

the downfall of humanity. Ladies
in knockoff Givenchy and top-heavy
beehives puff on slender Bakelite holders
while sneaking fish-flavoured treats from clutch bags. 

Passersby defer the cramped path, fearful 
of incurring the wrath of bored felines
who will later be rejected because
of unemotive eyes or rogue white paws.

Ross Thompson is a writer from Bangor, Northern Ireland. His debut poetry collection Threading The Light is published by Dedalus Press. His work has appeared on television, radio, short films and in a wide range of publications. Most recently, he wrote and curated A Silent War, a collaborative audio response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is currently preparing a second full-length book of poems.